Editor:
Freedom is a beautiful thing because only in a free society can we openly pursue the truth through honest, sincere debate. I am grateful that Scott Swanson has given us the privilege of discussing these important, controversial issues in the pages of this newspaper.
I am also impressed by the courage of Jeani West, Max Doner and Pete Ready to publicly scrutinize their beliefs.
In the interest of continuing debate in pursuit of truth, let me address each one separately. Jeanie would have us believe that all suffering is somehow our fault. While it may be true that we do suffer the consequences of our mistakes, nothing justifies wiping 200,000 people off the face of the planet with a tsunami.
Additionally, her reasoning would conclude that the inhabitants of this Willamette Valley deserve to be destroyed by flood since we chose to build our towns in a flood plain. However, I don’t remember any divine intervention when we decided to build hydroelectric dams on all our major rivers for the purpose of flood control. Think about it.
In Max Doner’s case, he reiterates the old, tired tradition that humans arenothing but a bunch of lousy, rotten, dirty, wretched sinners, and we all deserve to die.
This is a complete contradiction of Genesis 1:26-27, which clearly states that we are made in the image of God and therefore worthy of His love.
Besides, if God knows everything and He knew we were going to sin then by default he is also responsible. No one would ever hold a child liable for actions they do not understand, and a loving God would never condemn anyone to eternal punishment simply for not being a Christian.
Besides, I’ve known many good, upstanding Christians in my life, and they still die. They die because they are mortal, and mortality is terminal.
According to the Book of Ecclesiastes, the dead know nothing, which makes it clear that physical immortality is a myth. Since this is true, we should be compelled to make this present life the very best it can be.
Mr. Ready insists that I have already made up my mind, but if that were true, I wouldn’t be having this discussion. That’s the difference between agnostics and atheists. An atheist will unequivocally state that God doesn’t exist.
An agnostic, on the other hand, will say maybe there is a God or maybe there isn’t. Lack of a definitive conclusion, however, does not keep them from trying.
I never charged God with mismanagement. I only pointed out some discrepancies that simply indict God’s character. I also do not believe that unbelief leads to hopelessness. On the contrary, lack of belief renews my faith in humanity to continue solving our worst problems, poverty, illness and war.
We invented democracy without God’s help. We invented vaccines without God’s help, and we even went to the moon without God’s help. We can also make this planet into a paradise without God’s help or we can plunge humanity into oblivion without God’s help; but the choice has nothing to do with God.
We must save ourselves, or we will be responsible for our own extinction. What legacy do you want to leave your children? A misguided devotion to an impotent God or a bright future built on the dreams and hard work of the entire human race?
Again, I thank Jeani, Max, Pete and of course our illustrious editor for the opportunity to discuss these important issues. Keep asking questions, and we will all discover the truth together.
Keith Cantrell
Sweet Home